ASSYST/CSS Newsletter Number 16 for March 2011 by ASSYST

Number 16, March 2011 | www.assystcomplexity.eu | www.cssociety.org

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It’s time for Mathematics

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uring February, some interesting events took place, namely concerning Mathematics and Complex Systems Science. This issue of the ASSYST/CSS newsletter reports on the “International workshop on Mathematics in the Science of Complex Systems”, recently held at the European Centre for Living Technology in Venice. The workshop challenged the status quo and suggested that there is an exciting universe of new mathematical structures waiting to be constructed - new kinds of spaces with new kinds of algebraic, topological, analytic and logical properties requiring new methods of investigation to make them tractable and comprehensible. In a sequence, the First European Ph.D. School on “Mathematical Modeling of Complex Systems” is being prepared and will take place in Patras, Greece, during next summer. You will be able to find here the details of this summer school, including courses. Still on the education side, the good news is that the new étoile - “Enhanced Technology for Open Intelligent Learning Environments” project is about to start. The étoile project will test a remarkable information architecture using social intelligence to provide ultra-low-cost education and support the rapid dissemination of scientific ideas in domains related to complex systems science. Finally, you will be able to find in these pages the announcement of the workshop “Mining the Digital Traces of Science Toward interactive visualization of science rd th dynamics”, that will take place in Paris on the 23 and 24 of March. Enjoy your newsletter!

-- The ASSYST Team

New mathematical structures are needed to make complex systems tractable and comprehensible.

International workshop on Mathematics in the Science of Complex Systems

The Grand Canal in Venice - Félix-François-Georges Philibert Ziem; São Paulo Museum of Art; São Paulo, Brazil

he 2011 edition of the “International workshop on Mathematics in the Science of Complex Systems” was organized by Jeffrey Johnson, Irene Poli, Paul Bourgine and Robert MacKay, at the European Centre for Living Technlogy, Venice, 17-19 February 2011, and was supported by ASSYST, the ECLT and the Università Ca!Foscari Venezia. With the participation of around 30 researchers, presentations and discussions were introduced by the following background text:

Despite these huge steps forward, there remain problems that will not be solved by computer power, mass storage and ever-improving communications alone. For example, from biology to economies there is no formalism able to integrate the representation and dynamics of multilevel systems. The scientific problems of complex systems science are conceptual. Complex systems have new behaviours yet we try to model these behaviours using mathematics fine-tuned over hundreds of years to represent the relatively simple dynamics of physical “Over the past decade the Science of Complex Systems systems. Our workshop challenges the status quo and has developed considerably. It is now widely accepted that suggests that there is an exciting universe of new the emerging science of complex systems is ICT enabled mathematical structures waiting to be constructed - new while most of the practical and theoretical problems in kinds of spaces with new kinds of algebraic, topological, information and communications technologies arise analytic and logical properties requiring new methods of because they are complex multilevel sociotechnical investigation to make them tractable and comprehensible. systems. ICT is revolutionising the concept of data in the Or is mathematics done – with all possible structures sciences. Traditional data collection instruments are giving already discovered, making further exploration way to massive real time data flows from telephony, unnecessary? electronic transactions and ubiquitous sensors. It is now commonplace to see systems modelled as discrete agent The situation can be likened to the great voyages of the interactions with emergent micro- and meso-level fifteenth century that discovered exotic new lands and dynamics aggregating into continuous upper meso- and continents. We have a vision that there are mathematical macro level dynamics, with higher order emergence as continents yet to be discovered, but to find them we must top-down dynamics changing micro-level relationships and leave the familiar topography of smooth if occasionally substructures. craggy landscapes with continuous topologies and well

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manicured algebras. There is uncertainty and possible shipwreck on voyage, but also the possibility of discovering wonderful new things.

policy is part of the system it too has to be modelled. Thus theories of complex systems may need to be metamodelled in appropriate new and possibly computerimplemented logical frameworks. The dynamics of This workshop is intended to ask whether such new complex systems science present new kinds of empirical mathematical universes exist? To do so we will reflect on questions, which require mathematics for modelling the mathematical world we know, trying to map it out and dynamics, computation for processing data and dynamics, understand where there are gaps and opportunities. We and statistical theory for experimental design, data will ask what this new universe might look like. Might the modelling and interpretation. Thus statistical theory and classical harmony and beauty of mathematics give way to practice become entangled with mathematics and discord and new generations of ugly objects that transform computation in the science of complex systems. in ungainly and irregular ways; where closure is hard to achieve, operators have no simple inverses, and symbolic In this spirit of questioning the status quo and urging forms grow combinatorially making succinct identities rare ourselves to think beyond current limits the workshop will address the questions: and requiring knowledge of many unique objects with many unique properties interacting in ways with many exceptions. Or is it possible that by visiting such dystopian • which areas of mathematics are used in complex systems science? landscapes there may be completely new organising • what is the historical context? Have any outstanding patterns to be discovered that make accessible the problems been solved? mysterious dynamics of complex systems - completely new mathematical systems to able to stimulate and sustain • have any new fields of mathematics or problems been generated ? mathematical research for centuries? • how can statistical research contribute to complex The questions do not begin and end with mathematics. systems science? The science of complex systems is ICT-enabled with • how does mathematics interface to computation in CS mathematical theories and models entangled with science? computation. Mathematical structures translate into data • what are the implications for applications in industry and structures, and data structures have mathematical for policy makers? properties. Computation has its own dynamics, and this • are new logical frameworks necessary for the science of fact impacts on ICT-based science. Thus the mathematics complex systems? of complex systems science may have to advance in • what are the implications for education and training in CS conjunction with new theories of computation. The science? questions do not begin and end with mathematics and • are there completely new areas of mathematics waiting computation. Complex systems science is datadriven with to be discovered? ICT providing completely new kinds of data in volumes • what are the "grand challenges! for mathematics and unthinkable just a decade ago. Many of the notions of mathematicians? prediction that underlie much conventional science are not applicable in the science of complex systems. In global This workshop is the second in a series that began at systems scientists and policy makers are in the loop, ECLT in March 2008. In the meantime the science of making some predictions self-fulfilling prophesies and complex systems has made great advances, and we can others inspired but often incorrect guesswork. Laboratory reflect on what has changed in the mathematical experiments are often not possible leaving policy and its landscape since then. Have the changes been implementation as the only practical means of experiment. incremental, or are there some completely new areas But policy is conducted in vernacular language, and when emerging?”

étoile is about to start Enhanced Technology for Open Intelligent Learning Environments postgraduate students in Europe and around the world. It is intended to support programmes of education in domains related to complex systems science to large numbers of students around the world at almost no cost per student.

The étoile kickoff meeting will take place at the Hub he étoile project will test a remarkable information Lecture Theatre, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton architecture using social intelligence to provide ultra- Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK, 9-12 March 2011. low-cost education and support the rapid More info: http://www.etoilecascadesideas.eu/ dissemination of scientific ideas. It will be tested in with

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First European Ph.D. School on “Mathematical Modeling of Complex Systems”

n the framework of the European research and training activities in Complexity Science we announce the organization of a series of annual Ph.D. Schools on “Mathematical Modeling of Complex Systems”. The first such event will take place in Patras, Greece, in the summer of 2011: Time: 18 – 29 July, 2011 Location: Patras House of Knowledge and Science in collaboration with the University of Patras, Greece. This Ph.D. School is intended for postgraduate students from all over Europe and offers four coherent lecture courses, taught by experts in each field, on: 1. Mathematical Foundations of Complexity, 2. Physics of Complex Systems, 3. Complexity in Biology and Neuronal Dynamics, 4. Complex Systems in Economics and Sociology.

Courses & Instructors The Ph.D. School offers four coherent lecture courses:

Jeff Johnson (Open University, UK) 4 hours Steven Bishop (London, UK) 4 hours Course II : Physics of Complex Systems Nico Gray, Tom Mullin (Manchester, UK) 4 hours Tassos Bountis, Ko van der Weele (Patras, GR) 4 hours Pierre Gaspard, Thomas Gilbert, David Andrieux (Brussels, B) 4 hours Devaraj van der Meer (Twente, NL) 4 hours Course III : Complexity in Biology and Neuronal Dynamics Erik Mosekilde (Lyngby, DK) 5 hours Jürgen Kurths (Berlin, D) 5 hours Anastasios Bezerianos (Patras, GR) 2 hours Course IV : Complex Systems in Economics and Sociology Rosario Mantegna (Palermo, I) 6 hours Dirk Helbing (Zürich, CH) 6 hours More information: http://www.math.upatras.gr/~phdsch11/

Course I : Mathematical Foundations of Complexity Robert MacKay (Warwick, UK) 6 hours

Mining the Digital Traces of Science Toward interactive visualization of science dynamics Paris March 23-24 2011, Complex Systems Institute of Paris Ile-de-France yet already old history of scientific publications databases construction and use. For the first time a whole community of practice including scholars, decision makers and possibly any concerned citizen has been able to get an insight into current scientific research. Despite the amazing richness of most of these repositories (whether they are or not free or public), users have been limited to a more or less sophisticated query-based search-engine mediated access to bibliographical notices. The current challenge is to design and develop innovative he recent ICT revolution has given birth to a parallel tools to access this knowledge in order to enable users world of digital traces. This change affects a wide with new methods of navigation, interaction and data number of contexts of collaborative knowledge visualization of this kind of databases. creation, from casual discussions, political arguments, to scientific elaboration and participative decision-making. Speakers: Luis Bettencourt, Andrea Bonaccorsi, Chaomei Chen, David Chavalarias, Jean-Philippe Cointet, Abstract Pablo Jensen, Bruno Latour, Marco Quaggiotto, Ismael Science has been the first domain to experiment this shift Rafols, Martin Rosvall, André Skupin, Angela Zoss to a stigmergic society. No need to recall the ongoing and More information http://iscpif.fr/mdts11

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Reading snippets

Ants build cheapest networks As with railway networks, directly connecting each nest to every other nest would allow individual ants to travel most efficiently, but required a large amount of trail to be established. Instead, the ants used central hubs in their networks – an arguably complex design for creatures that University of Sydney biologist Tanya Latty described as having “tiny brains and simple behaviours”. In itneus.com.au http://assystcomplexity.eu/short/?id=101

Self-organization in social tagging systems Individuals often imitate each other to fall into the typical group, leading to a self-organized state of typical behaviors in a community. In this paper, we model selforganization in social tagging systems and illustrate the underlying interaction and dynamics. In arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/1102.3989

Detecting evolving patterns of selforganizing networks by flow hierarchy measurement Hierarchies occur widely in evolving self-organizing ecological, biological, technological, and social networks, but detecting and comparing hierarchies is difficult. Here we present a metric and technique to quantitatively assess the extent to which self-organizing directed networks exhibit a flow hierarchy. In Complexity http://assystcomplexity.eu/short/?id=102

Climate change and evolutionary adaptation Evolutionary adaptation can be rapid and potentially help species counter stressful conditions or realize ecological opportunities arising from climate change. The challenges are to understand when evolution will occur and to identify potential evolutionary winners as well as losers, such as species lacking adaptive capacity living near physiological limits. In Nature http://assystcomplexity.eu/short/?id=104

Swarm cognition on off-road autonomous General coevolution of topology and robots dynamics in networks (…) the first validation of swarm cognition as a useful framework for the design of autonomous robots controller (…) Based on the ant foraging metaphor and motivated by the multiple covert attention hypothesis, the model consists of a set of simple virtual agents inhabiting the robot!s visual input, searching in a collectively coordinated way for obstacles. In Swarm intelligence http://www.springerlink.com/content/n316748134823141/

A Hybrid Algorithm for Satellite Image Classification Remote sensing is the most relevant science that permits us to acquire information about the surface of the land, without having actual contact with the area being observed. (…)In this paper, we have used a Self Organizing Ant Algorithm for Classification of remotely sensed data. Also, we have suggested a new reinforcement factor for the pheromone updating. In Advances in Computing, Communication and Control http://www.springerlink.com/content/r25t54x5311u434n/

We present a general framework for the study of coevolution in dynamical systems. This phenomenon consists of the coexistence of two dynamical processes on networks of interacting elements: node state change and rewiring of links between nodes. The process of rewiring is described in terms of two basic actions: disconnection and reconnection between nodes, both based on a mechanism of comparison of their states In arXiv http://arxiv.org/abs/1102.3467

Many Roads to Synchrony: Natural Time Scales and Their Algorithms We survey the variety of ways in which one synchronizes to a stochastic process. We define associated length scales, providing characterization theorems and efficient algorithms for their calculation. We demonstrate that many of the length scales are minimized by using the #-machine, compared to all of a process's alternative models In SFI http://assystcomplexity.eu/short/?id=103

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Conferences and workshops http://assystcomplexity.eu/conferences.jsp

WiVS 2011 1st International Workshop WiVS 2011: Flexible Workflows in Distributed Systems Kiel, Germany 8 Mar 2011 to 11 Mar 2011 SIMUTools 2011 4th International Conference on Simulation Tools and Techniques Barcelona, Spain 21 Mar 2011 to 25 Mar 2011 IMCIC 2011 The 2nd International Multi-Conference on Complexity, Informatics and Cybernetics Orlando, Florida USA 27 Mar 2011 to 30 Mar 2011 SKIN2011 Simulating Knowledge Dynamics in Innovation Networks: Workshop University of Koblenz-Landau, Koblenz, Germany 31 Mar 2011 to 1 Apr 2011

WSS 2011 The 4th International Symposium on Web Services Hammamet, Tunisia 20 Apr 2011 to 21 Apr 2011 AAMAS 2011 The Tenth International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems Taipei, Taiwan 2 May 2011 to 5 May 2011 ATES2011 2nd International Workshop on Agent Technologies for Energy Systems Taipei, Taiwan 2 May 2011 to 2 May 2011 AMPLE2011 1st International Workshop on Agent-based Modeling for Policy Engineering Colocated with AAMAS2011, Taipei, Taiwan 2 May 2011 to 6 May 2011

ADS11 Agent-Directed Simulation Symposium Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel; Boston, MA, USA 4 Apr 2011 to 9 Apr 2011

MABS11 12th International Workshop on Multi-Agent-Based Simulation Colocated with AAMAS 2011, Taipei, Tawian 2 May 2011 to 6 May 2011

AISB11 Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour Convention University of York, UK 4 Apr 2011 to 7 Apr 2011

FET11 The European Future Technologies Conference and Exhibition 2011 Budapest, Hungary 4 May 2011 to 6 May 2011

ISAmI 2011 2nd International Symposium on Ambient Intelligence Software and Applications Salamanca, Spain 6 Apr 2011 to 8 Apr 2011

NIDISC2011 14th International Workshop on Nature Inspired Distributed Computing Anchorage (Alaska) USA 16 May 2011 to 20 May 2011

PAAMS11 9th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems Salamanca, Spain 6 Apr 2011 to 8 Apr 2011

ECMS2011 25th EUROPEAN Conference on Modelling and Simulation Krakow, Poland 7 Jun 2011 to 10 Jun 2011

IEEE ALIFE 2011 The 2011 IEEE Symposium on Artificial Life Paris, France 11 Apr 2011 to 11 Apr 2011

ISIE2011 6th International Conference on Industrial Ecology Berkeley, California, USA 7 Jun 2011 to 10 Jun 2011

NetSciCom2011 3rd International Workshop on Network Science for Communication Networks Shanghai, China 15 Apr 2011 to 15 Apr 2011

ICANN2011 International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks Espoo, Finland 14 Jun 2011 to 17 Jun 2011

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PNCW11 4th Annual Political Networks Conference and Workshops Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA 14 Jun 2011 to 18 Jun 2011

WISHWell 2011 3rd International Workshop on Intelligent Environments Supporting Healthcare and Well-being (WISHWell!11) Nottingham, UK 25 Jul 2011 to 26 Jul 2011

ACM WebSci 11 3rd International Conference on Web Science Koblenz, Germanay 14 Jun 2011 to 17 Jun 2011

Game Theory and Society 2011 Game Theory and Society - Models of Social Interaction in Sociological Research ETH Zurich, Switzerland 27 Jul 2011 to 30 Jul 2011

COLLA2011 The First International Conference on Advanced Collaborative Networks, Systems and Applications Luxemburg 19 Jun 2011 to 24 Jun 2011 CCSS2011 International Workshop on Coping with Crises in Complex Socio-Economic Systems - 2011 ETH Zurich, Switzerland 20 Jun 2011 to 25 Jun 2011 ESHIA-WEHIA2011 The 16th Annual Workshop on Economic Heterogeneous Interacting Agents Ancona, Italy 23 Jun 2011 to 25 Jun 2011 SiCoSSys 2011 Simulation of Complex Social Systems (SiCoSSys 2011) Colocated with SCSC11 The Hague, Netherlands 27 Jun 2011 to 30 Jun 2011 ECoMASS-2011 5th Workshop on Evolutionary Computation and MultiAgent Systems and Simulation Workshop (ECoMASS2011) Dublin, Ireland 12 Jul 2011 to 13 Jul 2011

ECAL11 European Conference on Artificial Life - 20th Anniversary Edition - Back to the Origins of Alife Paris, France 8 Aug 2011 to 12 Aug 2011 WIIAT2011 The 2011 IEEE / WIC / ACM International Conferences on Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent Technology Campus Scientifique de la Doua, Lyon, France 22 Aug 2011 to 27 Aug 2011 IEEE ICDL-EPIROB 2011 IEEE CONFERENCE ON DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING, AND EPIGENETIC ROBOTICS Frankfurt, Germany 24 Aug 2011 to 27 Aug 2011 SPSD2011 International Community on Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development Kanazawa, Japan 29 Aug 2011 to 31 Aug 2011 ECCS11 European Conference on Complex Systems 2011 Vienna, Austria 12 Sep 2011 to 16 Sep 2011

CLIMA XII 12th International Workshop on Computational Logic in Multi-Agent Systems Barcelona, Spain 17 Jul 2011 to 18 Jul 2011

ICMC2011 2nd International Conference on Morphological Computation ECLT, Venice, Italy 12 Sep 2011 to 14 Sep 2011

ASONAM2011 The International Conference on Advances in Social Network Analysis and Mining Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 25 Jul 2011 to 27 Jul 2011

ANT2011 2nd International Conference on Ambient Systems, Networks and Technologies Ontario, Canada 19 Sep 2011 to 21 Sep 2011 ICORE2011 2nd International Conference on Reputation Montpellier, France 19 Sep 2011 to 19 Sep 2011

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Jobs

Contacts

http://jobs.cssociety.org

Professor Associate/Full Professor in Management Science IMT Institute for Advanced Studies Lucca Italy - 02 of Mar., 2011

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Teaching/Research Assistant Professeur / Chercheur : Informatique et applications de l!Informatique aux sciences humaines et sociales Département de Mathématiques et d!Informatique appliquées aux Sciences de l!Homme (actuellement 6 MCF et 2 Pr) de l!Institut des Sciences Humaines Appliquées (ISHA) France – April 30, 2011 Teaching/Research Assistant Maitre de conférences / Chaire mixte CNRS, Modélisation des risques en société UMR 6266 IDEES (équipe MTG), Université de Rouen, Dept. de Géographie France – June 21, 2011

Web: http://assystcomplexity.eu RSS: http://assystcomplexity.eu/rss.xml Twitter: http://twitter.com/assystcomplex FriendFeed: http://friendfeed.com/assystcomplex Email: newsletter@assystcomplexity.eu Feedback: http://assystcomplexity.ideascale.com/ The ASSYST project acknowledges the financial support of the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) programme within the ICT theme of the Seventh Framework Programme for Research of the European Commission.

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5("#%':;#(%-*#(*#.'-*$C'#'("O* Jane Bromley, David Chavalarias, Jeff Johnson, Jorge Louçã, David MS Rodrigues

3#(%7*-;:1'--'("*D;'C$)'"$-O** If you are a Complex System researcher/practitioner and want to share a success story about your work / research please submit it to newsletter@assystcomplexity.eu. The story should approximately 500 words (if you want to submit an extended story please contact us) and should be sent in TXT, ODT, RTF or DOC file formats.

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